Aridis Pharmaceuticals Strengthens Board of Directors with Former Wyeth
(now Pfizer) President of R&D Robert Ruffolo, Jr.
SAN JOSE, Calif., April 18, 2016 - Aridis Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a biopharmaceutical
company applying proprietary technologies to produce novel therapies for
infectious diseases, announced today that it has appointed seasoned pharmaceutical
executive Robert Ruffolo, Jr., Ph.D., D.Sc.(h), D.Eng.(h), F.C.P.P, to its Board of
Directors. Dr. Ruffolo is the retired President of Research and Development at
Wyeth Pharmaceuticals (now Pfizer), and retired Corporate Senior Vice President of
Wyeth. He has also held senior leadership roles at SmithKline Beecham (now
GlaxoSmithKline or ‘GSK’) and Lilly Research Laboratories. Dr. Ruffolo brings
substantial drug discovery and development expertise to Aridis.
Eric Patzer, Ph.D., Chairman of the Board for Aridis, stated, “We are gratified to have
Bob join our Board as we continue to advance our novel antibody therapies to
combat life-threatening infectious diseases. His insights, based on decades of
experience in leading drug development at several of the world’s most successful
pharmaceutical companies, will undoubtedly help Aridis maximize the value of our
current pipeline and future programs.”
Dr. Ruffolo commented, “I look forward to joining Aridis to help guide the R&D
strategy, and particularly to advance the Company’s innovative anti-infective
monoclonal antibody candidates through clinical testing and eventual registration
as efficiently as possible. As Aridis approaches several clinical milestones, the
coming months should be a period of rapid growth for the company, and I am eager
to leveraging my expertise to augment those efforts.”
At Wyeth, Dr. Ruffolo managed an R&D organization of 9,000 scientists with an
annual budget in excess of $3 billion. Prior to Wyeth, Dr. Ruffolo spent 17 years at
SmithKline Beecham Pharmaceuticals (now GlaxoSmithKline) where he was Senior
Vice President and Director of Biological Sciences, Worldwide. Before joining
SmithKline Beecham, Dr. Ruffolo spent 6 years at Lilly Research Laboratories where
he was Chairman of the Cardiovascular Research Committee. During his
pharmaceutical career, Dr. Ruffolo played a significant role in the discovery and/or
development of a number of marketed products. Dr. Ruffolo has authored nearly
500 full-length publications, over 200 abstracts and has edited 17 books, and has
served on the editorial boards of 28 international scientific journals. Dr. Ruffolo and
his wife, Stephany, established the Ruffolo Charitable Fund and have used the
proceeds to support many charities, humanitarian projects and educational
programs throughout the World. He also sits on the Boards of Directors for several
promising Biotechnology companies as well as a number of non-profit charitable
organizations.
The Aridis Board was last expanded to include Isaac Blech, a very successful serial
biotech entrepreneur who founded Celgene, ICOS, Nova Pharmaceutical,
Pathogenesis and Genetics Systems.
About Aridis Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
Aridis is a privately held biopharmaceutical company applying proprietary
monoclonal antibody discovery technology MabIgXTM to produce novel infectious
disease focused therapies. Aridis’ product pipeline includes AR-101 (AerumabTM)
anti-Pseudomonas aeruginosa LPS human monoclonal antibody; AR-301 (SalvecinTM)
anti-Staphylococcus aureus human monoclonal antibody to treat acute pneumonia;
AerucinTM, a broadly reactive anti-Pseudomonas aeruginosa human monoclonal
antibody initially being developed to treat acute pneumonia; PanaecinTM, a small
molecule anti-infective gallium compound with broad spectrum activities against
bacteria, viruses, and fungi; AR- 401 anti-Acinetobacter baumannii human monoclonal
antibody; and AR-201 anti-RSV human monoclonal antibody.
Forward-Looking Statements
Certain statements in this press release are forward-looking statements that involve a
number of risks and uncertainties. Such forward-looking statements include
statements relating to the therapeutic applications of AerumabTM (AR-101),
SalvecinTM (AR-301), AerucinTM, PanaecinTM, AR-401, AR-201, Aridis’ proprietary
formulation and delivery technologies, about Aridis’ strategy, pre-clinical and clinical
programs, and ability to identify and develop drugs, as well as other statements that
are not historical facts. Actual events or results may differ materially from Aridis’
expectations. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from the
forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, the timing, success and
cost of Aridis’ research and clinical studies and its ability to obtain additional
financing. These forward-looking statements represent Aridis’ judgment as of the
date of this release. Aridis disclaims any intent or obligation to update these forwardlooking statements.
Contacts:
Tiberend Strategic Advisors, Inc.
Joshua Drumm, Ph.D. (investors)
[email protected]
(212) 375-2664
Andrew Mielach (media)
[email protected]
(212) 375-2694